Great Christmas Tree Tour: Phyliss Miranda

First off, I’d like to thank Cheryl for allowing readers a glimpse into some of her writer friend’s Christmas trees and holiday traditions.

I have to admit that I cheated a little bit this year, since this tree isn’t mine, but belongs to Jodi Thomas.  And, isn’t it beautiful? 

This year since my kids and their families are all going to be gone for Christmas and we are celebrating the holiday on the 28^th, my darlin’ husband of forty-four years and I decided not to get in the attic and get down our tree and all the decorations this year.

If I had put up my regular tree, Jodi’s and mine have one thing in common ... the Angel on the top.  Jodi’s is made out of one of her grandmother’s dollies.  What a wonderful way to always keep your grandmother’s memory alive.

In my case, my Angel was the one from my first Christmas; and yes, many years ago.  Mother gave it to me the first year I married and I’ve had it on our tree every year since.  I’d hoped to find a digital picture of the Angel but couldn’t; so, I selected a picture of our tree about ten years ago.   

My oldest granddaughter is wearing one of her mother’s Christmas formals from many years back. Notice the clip holding it together.  She’s a senior this year; while my other granddaughter, who is a freshman in high school, is wearing her mother’s petticoats from one of her old formals. I recall her telling me that the petticoats were prettier than the dress ... which made me rethink my sewing skills.

Now about our tree.  My two daughters have always called it the “junk Christmas tree” because I have everything they ever made in school on it, along with every little construction paper chain.  When they were little, we always went together and bought a new ornament for that particular year. When we traveled, I also purchased a new ornament.  So, yes, our tree was definitely a “junk Christmas tree”, but as my two girls got older and had families of their own, they now have their own “junk tree”!  

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into both Jodi’s and my trees.  As an early Christmas present, I’d love to give away a copy of A Texas Christmas written by Jodi Thomas, DeWanna Pace, Linda Broday, and myself.

A native Texan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Phyliss Miranda still believes in the Code of the Old West and loves to share her love for antiques, the lost art of quilting, and the Wild West.

Visit her at phylissmiranda.com 

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In the Texas Panhandle, the winters are long, the storms fierce--and the Yuletide nights are sizzling. New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas along with Linda Broday, Phyliss Miranda and DeWanna Pace, bring you one tempting holiday delight. . .
On the eve before Christmas a blizzard arrived, transforming a small Texas town into a night to remember. Four ladies desperately in need of saving, four hard-ridin' cowboys who aim to please. . . When a lone farmer strides to a pretty store owner's rescue, their deepest wishes just might come true. . . A brave heiress can't believe a rugged angel is riding out of the night to save her and her fellow train passengers--until she gets him under the mistletoe. . . A quiet loner wants to help a stranded widow have a holiday to remember. . . And a female saloon owner tired of being scorned by respectable folk gets some very naughty help from a handsome greenhorn. . .
"Readers couldn't ask for a finer quartet of heroes. . ." --Romantic Times on Give Me a Texas Ranger
"Will warm your heart and bring a smile to your lips." --Love Western Romances on Give me a Cowboy

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Great Christmas Tree Tour: Alison Henderson

Christmas Tree Memories by Alison Henderson

When my daughter was little, one of her favorite books was Christmas Tree Memories by Aliki.  In it, a family explores their favorite shared memories, each represented by a unique ornament.  My Christmas tree tells the same kind of story for my family—every ornament reminds us of a special time or place.

We love to remember favorite vacations, so I’ve bought ornaments in Disney World, Hawaii, and London, as well as one featuring a hand painted picture of Split Rock Lighthouse from a trip to the north shore of Lake Superior.  We have a beautiful painted glass ball with a Siamese cat that reminds of our beloved Cleo.  Six crocheted snowflakes came from a friend’s church bazaar in Omaha, and the list goes on and on. 

As we make more memories, I keep buying new ornaments.  My husband teases me that he sees a second tree in our future, and he’s probably right.  I can’t seem to resist (not that I try very hard).  My ornaments are heirlooms; they represent more than thirty years of family history.  Some of my very favorites are the needlepoint pears, each with a representation of one of the twelve days of Christmas, which I made for my first tree three decades ago.

I’ve told my daughter that as soon as she has a big enough place to have her own Christmas tree, she should take her favorites to start her own collection.  I love the idea of these special ornaments being handed down for generations, along with the stories they tell.

In her race against rival bone hunters, the last complication paleontologist Caroline Hubbard needs is an unconscious stranger cluttering up her dig site. Nicholas Bancroft might have the chiseled features and sculpted physique of a classical statue, but she's not about to let him hamper her quest to unearth a new species of dinosaur and make her mark on the scientific world.

Nick has come to Wyoming in search of silver but, after a blow to the head, finds himself at the mercy of a feisty, determined female scientist. Despite his insistence that he's just passing through, he agrees to masquerade as Caroline's husband to help save her job. Once their deception plays out, they face a crucial decision. Will they be able to see beyond their separate goals and recognize the treasure right in front of them?

Alison Henderson grew up in Kansas City on the edge of the prairie and has always loved all things Western. One of her favorite memories is of the fringed turquoise cowgirl outfit she received for her fifth Christmas. She went off to New York to study art history at Vassar College but never lost her admiration for the fortitude of the pioneers who settled the American West. She began writing when her daughter entered pre-school and was quickly captivated by the creative process.

Although she has traveled the world from Japan to Tunisia, Alison has never strayed far from her Midwestern roots. She and her husband are empty nesters living in Minnesota, and their daughter is a graduate student in Chicago. She invites you to visit her website at www.alisonhenderson.com.

Great Christmas Tree Tour: *lizzie starr

We Three Wee Trees

I swear October and November were each only about two weeks long--and December really snuck up on me. The fact no one in my household wanted to rearrange furniture for a large tree had us decorating table top trees.


This purple and silver tree sits next to the desk in the living room, and when I open the curtains it can be seen from the front porch. Like so many of you, I love purple, so there's nothing but that color gracing the silver branches. The bead garland is too long for such a little tree, but I think the extra adds a bit of interest draped over the cloth.

Next is a one sided tree my mom set on a chest against the wall. Now it's at home on our very narrow mantle. My sister decorated this tree with tiny ornaments and itty bitty LED lights. There's no purple ornaments or lights, but the picture next to the tree has purple. (This is an original made by Cheeta--of Tarzan fame.)

And finally, my little tree at work. I added a few purple ornaments to keep with my theme. No, the tree doesn't have an odd growth. 







Hiding behind the tree are a pair of cactus I rescued a couple years ago when work did a plant purge bringing them from the cold outside to my kitchen. I love cacti, and they've healed up and prospered. As much as you can tell a cactus prospers.

My three wee trees and I wish you all the happiest of holidays!

*lizzie starr writes fantasy and contemporary romance. When not reading, writing, or dreaming,  she's a well-loved lunch lady. You can find *lizzie at her blog starrwords, on facebook, twitter and Pinterest, and of course at her website.

By Keltic Design (Double Keltic Triad Book One)

Allyn Keely, Celtic artist and friend of Faerie, finally finds a man she can love. But she’s older than he is and faces the insurmountable task of helping him realize his destiny in the Otherworld.

Successful businessman, Jaye Zeroun prides himself on his realistic, but lonely, view of life. Until Allyn knots her way around his heart and fills his life with a fantasy he refuses to believe. Then danger threatens their love, forcing him to either accept a deadly battle or lose the very things he never included in his life, a family and a love beyond his wildest imagining.

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords.

Great Christmas Tree Tour: Tanya Hanson & Drawing

Merry Christmas from my little corner of a culdesac in coastal Central California!  Wow, a lot of C's in that sentence!)   My family stretches  from here to south in Orange County,  east to Scottsdale, Arizona and north to Reno, Nevada.  I've always loved Christmas, but the holidays are even brighter these days because I'm now gramma to the two dearest little boys ever.

May 2013 bring you every good thing!  I'll be giving away PDF or Kindle copies of my newest release, Christmas for Ransom, to three readers who email me at tanya.hanson@gmail.com   Just put "Ransom"  in the header! 

CHRISTMAS FOR RANSOM
A good-hearted outlaw and the woman who gives him her heart...before she realizes it's HER horses he stole!   Member of the notorious Ahab Perkins gang,  "Canyon" Jack Ransom promised his beloved gram-maw on her death bed long ago that he'd learn to read. After growing a conscience and leaving his past behind,  he hires Texas schoolmarm Eliza Willows to do the deed while she, unbeknownst he's the crook, hires him in return to "track" the thief of her granny's prized Morgans.  Falling in love with each other is fast and furious but real...and the two getting snowbound at Christmas while gun-battling Ahab and the gang only adds to the fun!


Amazon buy link http://tinyurl.com/cwhk5kj

also available major e-outlets and The Wild Rose Press

Blythe Gifford's Drawing Winner

The winner of Blythe Gifford's drawing for Return of the Border Warrior is...

JOYE

Congrats, Joye! Enjoy the story and thanks for visiting the tree tour.

Great Christmas Tree Tour: Brenda Mazur

I met Brenda when I was signing my very first book. She has been a faithful reader and a friend for all the years since, and she contributes a photo of her Christmas tree to my tour every year.

This tree is all new, We went with a white tree so we could have purple decorations. I love purple so much, and this is perfect. I know I miss my Mickey,s but I have had them for so many years, it was time for something different. Maybe next year back to Mickey. It all started this year with me making a purple tree skirt for a quilting class I was taking, and from then I was on a roll. LOL Only problem is, I got into making everyone else a tree skirt, so I still need to finish a few things on mine. 

Here is our tree, and you will see we even have a purple angel. I hope everyone has a blessed Holiday season. 

                                                                        ~ Brenda

Great Christmas Tree Tour: Blythe Gifford & Drawing

Last year, during the week before Christmas, I did the following:

·        moved out of my condo so that it could be remodeled,

·        turned in a proposal for the second book of a trilogy,

·        had outpatient surgery. 

Needless to say, the halls were NOT decked.

But it taught me that I don’t need the traditional tree and all the trappings to put me in the Christmas spirit.  A scented candle and holiday music will take me a long way toward Ho-Ho-Ho. 

That, and Santa Lemon.

Santa Lemon?  Well, yes.  You see, my kitchen is decorated with California fruit crate labels, from the days when fruit was still put in wooden boxes to be shipped.  My specialty is lemons and one of my prize possessions is a label from Santa brand lemons, from Santa Paula, California, dated 1928. 

  

It features Santa himself, complete with red hat and holly, carrying a bag ostensibly filled with Sunkist lemons.  And it is so much easier than a tree.

It holds a treasured, seasonal spot in my kitchen every year, but now that my kitchen has been remodeled, I’m not quite sure where that “place of honor” should be.

So here are two pictures – in one, he’s on a counter by the sink.  In the second, he’s on a little counter space beside the refrigerator. 

I’m giving away a copy of RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, the first of my trilogy about the Brunson Clan, to a commenter, so help me decide where I should keep Santa this Christmas.  Sink or fridge?  (Add your email, too, please, and whether you’d like a print or a Kindle version of the book)

Oh, and the book I turned in last year?  It’s the second one in the series, CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD, and it will be out – you guessed it – the week before Christmas.

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Her new trilogy is set on the turbulent Scottish Borders of the early Tudor era, starting with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, November 2012.  CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD will follow in January 2013, and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL in March 2013.  The Chicago Tribune has called her work "the perfect balance between history and romance."  Visit her at www.blythegifford.com, www.facebook.com/BlytheGifford, or www.twitter.com/BlytheGifford. 

Cover copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited

® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license Author photo by Jennifer Girard. 

Great Christmas Tree Tour: Margaret Brownley

Those hardy pioneers living on the prairie didn’t have the luxury of cutting down a tree.  They were forced to use whatever was on hand.  Some even decorated whiskey barrels.  Wagon wheels worked as both wreaths or trees. I use them as both.